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CNN Live Event/Special
Voting Continues Nationwide, First Statewide Polls Close At 7P ET; Awaiting First Poll Closings As Voting Continues Nationwide; Awaiting First Poll Closings As Voting Continues Nationwide. Aired 5- 6p ET
Aired November 05, 2024 - 17:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JOHN KING, CNN HOST: So while I want to prepare everybody that this could take a few days before we know the ultimate winner, I do believe if those states are keeping their word and they get that done that quickly, we actually may get some clues tonight. And we also may get some clues out of states that are not battlegrounds. Virginia, one of the earliest states to report, two competitive congressional races there, key suburban votes there. So we will get some clues as we early in the night and then everyone be patient as we continue to count from there. And as we wait for the first votes, our coverage continues right now.
[17:00:40]
JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: Take a look at these images, a live picture of the beautiful experiment in democracy of these United States. These images from Mesa, Arizona. Voters there and across the United States continuing to cast ballots in this presidential election with high stakes and stark choices.
If you are just joining us, I'm Jake Tapper. This is CNN's live coverage on election night in America. And we're about to get an early read of who is voting and why in this historic faceoff between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump. Stand by for our very first exit poll information. That's coming up just minutes from now.
Also ahead, the very first votes of the 2024 presidential race will be reported after 6:00 p.m. Eastern in areas with the earliest poll closings. The race to 270 electoral votes is underway with a total of 60 electoral votes on the line in six states where all voting ends at 7:00 p.m. Eastern. Those states are Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, South Carolina, Vermont and the Commonwealth of Virginia. Georgia is the first major presidential battleground up for grabs. This evening, Democrats are hoping to hold onto the state that they narrowly flipped to blue four years ago, Republicans fighting to take it back.
CNN teams are keeping tabs on the final hours of voting in all of the crucial swing states that will decide who ultimately wins the White House. And our campaign correspondents are at the candidates headquarters. Let's go now to Abby Phillip who's at Harris HQ here in Washington, D.C.
And Abby, what's the Harris camp's take on the battleground states right now?
ABBY PHILLIP, CNN ANCHOR: Jake, they are looking very carefully as turnout is happening, particularly in the parts within the battleground states where they need to turn out their people. One source familiar with the ongoing voting situation in Philadelphia in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania says that they are happy with the turnout that they have been seeing so far, particularly in the northwest wards of that city, that heavily Democratic city. This source says that some of the polls even requested additional ballot paper to meet the demand of voters. So if you are the Harris campaign today, that is a very good sign. You need that plus in order to win the state or the commonwealth, excuse me, of Pennsylvania.
And they are looking very carefully to make sure that in Philadelphia, especially where there is a strong black vote, where they need to really drive up those margins, that they can get there before the end of voting today, Jake.
TAPPER: All right, Abby, Philip, thank you so much. Let's go south now to Kaitlan Collins in the Palm Beach area. And Kaitlan, do we have any idea when we're going to hear from Donald Trump this evening? Because obviously, four years ago he came out and prematurely, falsely declared victory. Do we have any idea what his plans are this evening?
KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Well, right now, Jake, what we're hearing from sources that they are planning to hear Donald Trump speak tonight. Of course, what he says remains to be seen. What I am hearing is that he will make an appearance where I am at the convention center. This is where we are expecting several thousands of Trump's supporters and donors to come and gather here behind us for one of two parties that is happening here in Southern Florida tonight, the other being at Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago Club, where he's going to be surrounded by friends, family, major donors and surrogates like Elon Musk and whatnot. But, Jake, I am hearing that Donald Trump is expected to show up here tonight to speak to his supporters.
He said earlier he hasn't written a speech yet, and it's not completely clear that he will be here, but I've heard from sources that say they are planning for him to come. They can quickly whip up what his remarks are going to be. One thing, Jake, that Trump has been privately expressing frustration about is that a winner may not be announced tonight. And his own campaign aides have cautioned that is normal, that is likely expected, and that they don't think they'll know the victor of this race tonight. Obviously, that doesn't mean anything is wrong.
It takes time to count the votes. But Trump has been frustrated about that because he says he wants an outcome tonight. Of course, Jake, the question is whether or not there are influences around him, encouraging him to declare victory like he did last time in 2020, falsely.
TAPPER: All right, Kaitlan Collins, thanks so much.
And we can now share the very first exit poll information with potential clues for how this night might play out. David Chalian has that.
[17:05:05]
And David, how are voters feeling about the state of the country as they cast their ballots?
DAVID CHALIAN, CNN POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Sorry. Before we dig into the numbers, I just want to say two things so that everybody understands what we're looking at here. One, these are early preliminary exit poll findings. These numbers will shift as the night goes on and more and more interviews come in. The second thing everyone should be aware of, this exit poll encompasses every kind of voter.
Whether you voted pre-election day, on Election Day, by mail, early in person, before Election Day, we have incorporated polls of all kinds of voters that are incorporated into this exit poll. With that being said, let's look at the numbers on the mood of the country. It's a pretty dour mood in terms of the way people feel things are going in the United States. Nationally, only 7 percent of voters say they're enthusiastic, 19 percent say they're satisfied. Look at these numbers, 43 percent dissatisfied, 29 percent angry, 72 percent of the electorate in nationally say they're dissatisfied or angry.
What about America's best days, we ask, are they in the future or are they in the past? Sixty-one percent of voters in this election across the country say America's best days are ahead of the country. Six in 10 say so, 34 percent say the best days are in the past. And finally, President Joe Biden's approval rating, it's at 41 percent in these early preliminary exit poll findings, 58 percent of voters in this election across the country nationally disapprove of the way that the incumbent Democratic president is doing his job, Jake.
TAPPER: All right, interesting stuff. David Chalian, thanks so much.
And let's talk about it with our panel. And Dana Bash, obviously, this is early exit poll data, but still looking at this, which really doesn't deviate so much from polling in general, we've seen Joe Biden not popular, most Americans dissatisfied.
DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: One of the questions that I have been asking and looking at since I started covering campaigns is this, are you satisfied? Are you not satisfied? Right track, wrong track. It is extremely high, the dissatisfied or angry. As David said, if you add those two up, 72 percent.
What we don't know because this is such a different election is whether the dissatisfaction or anger will be taken out on Kamala Harris or Donald Trump because they are both effectively, you know, Harris is part of the current administration, but Donald Trump and the Trump era is very much upon us. We don't know how that's going to --
CHRIS WALLACE, CNN ANCHOR: I got to Say, I think that's putting the best spin on it. I think when you see --
BASH: For who?
WALLACE: -- current voters --
BASH: Yes.
WALLACE: -- saying that by a 3 to 1 margin that they are dissatisfied with the country.
TAPPER: Or angry. Dissatisfied or angry.
WALLACE: Angry. I got to say, I think that's with the present conditions in the country. I mean, in conventional terms, it would be a miracle that Kamala Harris could win with that kind of headwind. And also with the president, remember, she was part of the administration.
BASH: Yes.
WALLACE: Biden Harris administration was 41 percent approved, 58 percent disapproved. This isn't even close to the 50 percent.
AUDIE CORNISH. CNN HOST, "THE ASSIGNMENT WITH AUDIE CORNISH" PODCAST: Yes, but I want to be --
BASH: I'm not so sure.
WALLACE: Let me just finish my point --
CORNISH: Yes.
WALLACE: -- which is just that if she is able to overcome those numbers and still win this election, then she has done a remarkable job of somehow separating herself, that she's part of the solution and not part of the problem.
CORNISH: It's early in the night, I think, for me to put it behind a name, but I am actually really cheerful at seeing that 61 percent of people here are saying that America's best days are in the future. That means they are showing up today believing they can do something about it. And as someone who, like, walks the streets and people come up to me and say, I don't understand what's going on, the partisanship and complaining, like, it's good to see that because it means people feel like they are not helpless in this scenario.
TAPPER: Well, one of the things, Chris, about that is just, it's just like the idea. It's like polling on the issue of democracy. You can see that people are concerned about democracy, and yet that doesn't necessarily mean they're on the side of the Democrats who opposed the January 6th insurrection. It's really, people couldn't have -- we all contain --
WALLACE: But the only thing I would say is that, you know, look, one of the big issues in this election --
TAPPER: Yes.
WALLACE: -- in immigration, it's been the economy. We know people are unhappy with --
TAPPER: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
WALLACE: We know they're unhappy with the flood of people across the border. And I think that's reflected in these numbers.
TAPPER: John King, what are you looking for in the two battlegrounds where voting ends earliest today? Georgia and North Carolina.
KING: Jake, as you know, I'm a demographic and a data geek. These are two of the greatest tug of wars in American politics, Georgia and North Carolina, because of the even balance in the state. So votes are going to come in early. And because they're battlegrounds, they're going to help us understand quite a bit. This is the 2020 map.
So this is the 2020 map, remember that. But look at this state. A, look at all that red. What do they have? Number one, they have a lot of small rural counties, the places where Donald Trump runs it up.
And just give you an example, pick it up and runs it up big, right? You pick any random one, he's going to be above 65 percent. Sometimes he's above 70 percent or more. He runs it up big. What else do they have?
[17:10:08]
They have urban centers that have a large African-American population and growing suburbs of college educated voters. You have that in Mecklenburg County, that's Charlotte, the biggest county of the state. You have it up here in Raleigh, Durham, the Research Triangle. An African-American population plus a high college educated population, a lot of young voters. So both parties have their base.
The question is who can win the middle. Just one thing to look at in these states, right? So let's look at the African-American population and bring it out. The darker the shading, the higher the African- American population. This is North Carolina.
And then I'll bring you out and come down and we'll look at the state of Georgia. The Democrats have a built in base here. If Kamala Harris can get high turnout and keep the loyalty of African-American voters. African-American turnout critical in these two states.
Here's a different way to look at it. You can look at it this way and bring this out here. Let me do this here for you. Race and ethnicity. This is the state of Georgia, 51 percent white, 31 percent of the state population is Black, African-American voters, the foundation of the Democratic Party. That's in North Carolina.
You pop out to the United States just to get the look. It's 12 percent nationally, right? And that's what it is in Georgia. And then you come over here to North Carolina and look again, 21 percent there. So two states that have a significant African-American population.
If Kamala Harris can not only win that with a high percentage, but they've come up with a really high number. It's not just the percentage, she needs the math in the urban areas as well.
So what else do you have in these states? Let's come back out and let's turn this. In both states, again, Donald Trump has a rural base, Democrats have an urban base. This will be decided -- that's Virginia, excuse me. This will be decided in the suburbs.
And again, Joe Biden, this was the closest. This was Donald Trump's closest win, if you will, 74,000 votes here of his battleground wins. This was the closest one in North Carolina. And of course we all remember all the controversy about Georgia after the last one, Georgia and Arizona were two of the big surprises. How did it happen?
It happened here, the Atlanta suburbs, the changing -- especially the farther out suburbs. High African American turnout in the cities and then you move out into the suburbs. And again, you just look at this here, let me take this off and look at just what happened, right? So I like to go to the farther out suburbs. The close in suburbs the last few elections have become solidly Democratic.
So you move more out, Cobb. When I started doing this, this was ruby red. Joe Biden got 56 percent of the vote. But look at Donald Trump's number, 42 percent in Cobb County. Let's go back to 2016, 47 percent in Cobb County.
That's the difference. The margins within the battlegrounds within the battlegrounds, and the suburbs are those battlegrounds. So come over here to Gwinnett County, again, when I started doing this was a ruby red county. Let's focus on Trump, not Clinton, he gets 45 percent in 2016. You come to '20, he drops down to 40 percent.
That's the difference in battleground Georgia because he will run it up in all these rural red areas. The question is, can the Democrats get the urban vote out in here and here? And then what happens in the suburbs? And increasingly you start in the close in suburbs. As we have moved out in the last couple elections, Jake, Democrats have had more success even as you drive more and more.
When you start to see the farmland, the Democrats have had more success. That's what they did in 2020. Can they do it again tonight is her test in North Carolina and Georgia, Jake.
TAPPER: We shall see. We are nearing an early milestone on this election night. We expect the first votes, the first actual votes of the presidential race to be reported in the coming hours. Americans are casting ballots across the country. We also have new exit poll results coming in.
We're going to share those with you. We're going to share more insights into who's voting and why on the other side of this break. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[17:17:17] ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST: And welcome back to our continuing coverage of election night in America. You're looking at Mesa, Arizona. We're watching very long lines there, particularly at this one polling spot. People waiting for a long time to cast their ballots in Arizona and other crucial presidential battlegrounds across the U.S. Another batch of exit poll data is coming in right now. Let's go to David Chalian.
David, what are some of the top issues for voters in this election?
CHALIAN: Yes, Anderson, again, these are preliminary numbers. They'll change as we do more interviews, but we're looking broadly nationally at the whole electorate. And take a look at this, Democracy ranks as the most important issue for 35 percent of voters. That's the top slot for voters today.
The economy is pretty close, it comes in second. There are 31 percent of voters saying that's their most important issue. Then a little bit lower, abortion at only 14 percent saying it's the most important issue. And immigration below that at 11 percent. Foreign policy way down in single digits.
I also want to show this by each candidate's supporters. It sort of explains a bit of their coalition. Among Harris voters in these preliminary exit polls, 56 percent of Harris voters say democracy is the number one issue. So, it's the Harris coalition that's driving democracy to the top of the pack. And the issue set, 21 percent say abortion among Harris voters, then the economy, foreign policy, and immigration.
You imagine it's quite different if you look at the Trump voters. So among those supporting President Trump, a majority, 51 percent majority, say the economy is their top issue, followed by 20 percent of Trump supporters who say immigration is their top issue, then democracy, then abortion, and then foreign policy, Anderson.
COOPER: All right, David, I want to talk over the numbers. We're going to come back to you shortly.
Alyssa, what do you think?
ALYSSA FARAH GRIFFIN, CNN POLITICAL CONTRIBUTOR: This is fascinating. I think democracy ranking so high speaks to something that may be happening in this cycle that I'm not sure that the polls have adequately captured. Kamala Harris made the decision, the strategic decision, to build a coalition. She didn't double down on turning out the base and just turning out the Democratic coalition. You've got AOC to the Cheneys and now the leader of the uncommitted movement back in Kamala Harris. And I think it speaks to this concern that even if you like the Trump era, maybe your taxes were a little low, where you felt good about the economy, concerns about the direction of the country when it comes to American democracy.
This is a motivating issue, I think it plays in the suburbs. I think we've undercounted how much it may actually impact this election. So that stands out to me. And I do want to just agree with something Dana Bash said, this answer of America's best days are in the future. I don't see that as a referendum on Kamala Harris. There's one candidate who in her closing message has talked about the future in a brighter future, it's her. Donald Trump has largely looked backward, relitigated past issues and grievances.
[17:20:04]
DAVID AXELROD, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Yes, I think this whole -- I think what we've seen so far is a microcosm of the entire campaign.
COOPER: Yes.
AXELROD: The idea that 72 percent of the people were dissatisfied or angry in the last set and that Biden has 41 percent approval rating, Chris Wallace was right, no one in his -- no incumbent party in history has won an election with those kind of numbers. But I do think that she has been pretty skillful at sort of charting her own course, hitting issues like democracy, abortion, and enough on the economy that she's building a hopeful coalition. And what these don't reflect is people's view of Donald Trump as a person and the character of his leadership, which is where the hopeful nature of her candidacy is playing against his.
DAVID URBAN, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: It's a good spin. This is 72 percent of Americans think we're on the wrong track, that's devastating. Devastating for this campaign. Devastating. Trump's approval rating going into this election is the highest it's been retrospectively.
Americans think more favor of them today than they ever did --
AXELROD: Then why is the race tied, Dave?
URBAN: Dave, I don't --
AXELROD: Explain.
URBAN: I can't explain, but I'm saying --
GRIFFIN: But it's also, I think --
URBAN: -- these numbers, the economy --
AXELROD: The race is tie.
URBAN: No, no, you're talking about the economy, right? People, it's nice to worry about the democracy, but if you can't pay for your food --
VAN JONES, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: I agree with that.
GRIFFIN: Oh, and I totally agree.
JONES: I agree with that.
AXELROD: And that's why she spent so much time talking about it.
GRIFFIN: She closed out talking about the economy, not even saying his name. He was talking about Van Jones, among others.
URBAN: The question -- listen, I'm wrapping myself in this poll. Look at this. I'm just going to hold on to this right now. This is great news.
AXELROD: We'll see what your wrapping yourself with at the end of the night.
URBAN: This is great news for the Trump.
COOPER: Yes, all right. Van, let's hear from you.
JONES: Hi.
AXELROD: That's all we have talking --
JONES: This is what happens they give us caffeine and have some break.
COOPER: You guys are coming in hot.
JONES: But listen, I do see it differently than you do. People are angry and people are dissatisfied in large part because Donald Trump has created an environment that is so toxic for people. You have people who are literally afraid of -- whatever happens this election, there are people who are afraid that if he wins, he's going to do bad stuff to them. And they're afraid if he loses, his supporters might hurt them. That is a part of this overall --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
JONES: So people's dissatisfaction with the status quo includes dissatisfaction and anger.
URBAN: I think, listen, Van, you said this before, you said this before, so I'm going to steal your own line.
JONES: Please do.
URBAN: People are dissatisfied that. That right check, wrong check number is so bad because when the check engine light comes out of their car, it is. They get pissed off because they can't pay for it.
JONES: Sure.
AXELROD: Yes. But you know what --
URBAN: That's why their --
JONES: Can I just say true. (CROSSTALK)
AXELROD: Can I just make a point about this? I think the brilliance of the way Harris finished this campaign is she attached Trump's character issues, the fact that he's absorbed with himself, focused on vengeance. And she really asked the question, who's going to wake up every day trying to address the problems you care about, that guy or me? And I think she's made some progress doing it.
COOPER: Yes. Let's go back to Dave Chalian who's got another readout from the exit polls. What candidate qualities resonate most with voters?
CHALIAN: Yes, Anderson, one of the things we've been tracking throughout this campaign is sort of if voters are voting for their candidate of choice or more coming out to vote against their opponent. So, among Harris voters in these preliminary exit poll results, and this again is nationwide, 67 percent of Harris voters say they're coming out to vote in this election for Harris. Only 29 percent of Harris voters say that they're out there casting their ballot to oppose Trump. Now, those numbers are even bigger in this direction for Donald Trump supporters. Among his supporters, 80 percent of them say they're out there casting their ballot for Donald Trump.
Seventeen percent say they're showing up to cast a ballot against Harris. We also asked about certain qualities that each coalition was looking for.
So Among Harris voters, 35 percent of them say they were looking for a candidate that has good judgment. That was the quality that mattered most to them. Twenty-eight percent of Harris supporters say they were looking for somebody who cares about people like me. Twenty-one percent say has ability to lead. And only 13 percent of Harris supporters said they were looking for someone to bring about needed change.
It's a complete reversal when you look at the Trump coalition here. Forty-one percent of Trump supporters said the most important quality was looking for somebody who had the ability to lead. Right up there, almost tied, 39 percent looking for a candidate who can bring needed change. And then everything else was in single digits. Only 9 percent of Trump supporters said they were looking for someone who cares about people like me.
And only 7 percent of Trump supporters were looking for a presidential candidate who has good judgment, Anderson.
COOPER: Yes. Fascinating. That's fascinating.
JONES: Listen, that explains a lot. Like, literally, if you don't care if somebody cares about you or has good judgment, Donald Trump is your candidate. They know he doesn't care about them. They know he has terrible judgment for him.
[17:25:00]
URBAN: They want someone who's going to fight for him. They want someone who's going to fight for him.
JONES: Somebody who doesn't care about them, only cares about himself. I do think this is helpful because it literally is upside down world. And I think it's important to point out that Kamala Harris has crossed the bridge of convincing people that she cares about people like them, that she has good judgment, that is an important value that I think is going to show up in a big way today.
I'm also surprised immigration has gone down in its significance of top issues, which was one and two for most of this race. And I have to wonder if that's because Donald Trump led on it for so long. But I think Kamala Harris was able to negate some of that steam by saying she would have signed the border bill that he had passed. I think that may have resonated with voters that they realized there's two candidates who care about this issue. They simply have different approaches.
AXELROD: I'm not sure if I were any candidate that I'd feel good about the fact that my own voters were motivated by good judgment. And I got 7 percent of, you know, the people who said that you had good judgment. She's 35 percent. If this goes back, this battery goes back to the thing I was talking about, I mean, I think people think Donald Trump's strong. They say -- his supporters say he has the ability to lead, but the question is, who is he leading for?
Is he leading for me? His supporters may believe that. But this issue of caring about people like you, this issue of, has good judgment, I mean, these are character leader issues about the character of your leadership. And I think people are making a judgment as to where are my interests best served with the strong guy who knows how to lead or with a person who I think hears me is going to be thinking about me. And that's really --
JONES: These exit polls are a little bit like a Rorschach.
URBAN: Yes. But again, I'll go back to -- listen --
COOPER: And you can help (ph) to see them wherever you want.
URBAN: -- I'll just go back to Van's points. I love this point, right? All that's great, but if your check engine light comes on, you don't care about any of it.
AXELROD: I agree with you.
GRIFFIN: But you're, I think --
URBAN: You don't care about any of it.
GRIFFIN: I think built into what you're saying, again, it is a Rorschach test, because I would have been with you. I think Donald Trump was way ahead on the economy, but he melted down in this final stretch in the closing message. And Kamala Harris is talking about home health care for people who have senior parents. She's talking about the opportunity. She's tried to turn that message as somebody who she didn't own -- her parents and own a home until she was in high school.
JONES: Yes. GRIFFIN: She related on the issues of understanding the economic struggle. And he was talking about the things I'm not even going to repeat they use as a closing message. I think that's where it may have shifted.
JONES: I do think that she's been able to kind of walk him down in the economy by talking about stuff like, you know, if you have a kid, you're going to get 6,000 bucks for newborns. Like walk them down, walk them down and close that gap.
COOPER: We're going to break down more exit poll information straight ahead. Also, we're getting closer. The first results of the night in the presidential race, first votes that have been counted. There's a lot coming up on election night in America. Stay tuned.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[17:31:30]
TAPPER: There is a lot riding on voters who are turning out of polling places across the country right now. We're getting an early read on what's driving their choices in this historic race for the White House. David Chalian is back with new exit poll data and information. David, how is the issue of the economy playing with voters in this election?
CHALIAN: Yes, Jake. We're doing a deep dive into the economy. It's the second ranked issue as you saw earlier. Look here, 31 percent of voters nationwide in these preliminary exit poll results say that the economy was the most important issue driving their vote, second only to democracy. So, what is the condition of the nation's economy, we ask people. Well, only 5 percent of voters say it's excellent and 28 percent say it's good.
The vast majority say it's not so good, 35 percent or poor, 32 percent, so that's 67 percent, two-thirds of voters in this election nationwide say not so good or poor. And what about inflation? Has it caused your family severe hardship, moderate hardship? Look at this, 53 percent. A -- a majority of Americans voting in this election say that inflation in the last year has caused their family moderate hardship. Another 21 percent say severe hardship, so some kind of hardship for 74 percent, three quarters of the electorate. Only a quarter, 24 percent say inflation didn't cause them any hardship at all.
And what about your family's financial situation, better or worse than it was four years ago? We hear Donald Trump ask that question all the time at his rallies. Well, the plurality here 45 percent of Americans nationwide voting in this election say their family's financial situation is worse than four years ago, 30 percent say it's about the same, only a quarter, 24 percent say it's better than four years ago, Jake.
TAPPER: All right, David, telling thanks so much. And Erin Burnett is now getting an update from the western battlegrounds. Erin? ERIN BURNETT, CNN ANCHOR: All right, Jake. And, you know, looking at these exit polls you can make an argument either way. And in hindsight, we will look back. We will be able to parse all this together and see what it really is saying here. But let's go to some of these battlegrounds, Wisconsin, Michigan, Georgia. Let's start though, with you, Sara Sidner in Wisconsin, Cedarburg, outside Milwaukee. You hear all these exit polls coming in but you're actually speaking to voters there at the polls. Does this fit with what you're seeing? And what are you seeing right now?
SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: Look, we've been seeing a steady stream of people coming through here and they're expecting this to be potentially one of the highest percentages of voter's turnout that they have seen ever with 95 potentially percent of registered voters showing up here at this poll. But I do want to give you some new information that we have just gotten in in the city of Milwaukee, which is about 20 miles from where we are. We are in the suburbs here.
They are now saying, according to election officials there that they're going to have to rerun about 30,000 absentee ballots through tabulating machines for an abundance of caution because what they learned is that the doors of one of its tabulating machines were open, it hadn't been closed properly. And they want to make absolutely sure that the machine counted everything properly. So they are rerunning 30,000 ballots.
Why that is important is it will mean that there will take a longer time to count those absentee ballots. And if you will remember, back in 2020, it was the absentee ballots and waiting for those to be counted which we heard Donald Trump and the Republicans jump on saying there's some sort of malfeasance. Officials are saying this is not the case. There is an issue with one of the machines not being closed properly and they want to make out of abundance of caution sure that each and every vote is properly counted. So, we may have to wait a bit longer to find out what the tally of those absence votes were in Milwaukee, the most populous city in Wisconsin. Erin?
[17:35:18]
BURNETT: All right. And -- and -- and -- and obviously abundance of caution is important. Those wanting the quick results, sometimes it takes a little bit longer than you -- than you want. But 30,000, they're going to rerun those. Every single one of those counts when it comes to getting this final number.
Let's go to Michigan, Macomb Township right outside of Detroit. Jim Sciutto is there. And Jim, we've heard about record turnout in Michigan as well. Secretary of State talking about that, what are you seeing at the polling site where you are?
JIM SCIUTTO, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, they say they were on track for record turnout in the whole state of Michigan and certainly where we are in Macomb Township and Macomb County just outside of Detroit, they're seeing this. And we -- we're right in the middle of the lines here. They've been wrapping around the building here, coming down, casting their votes. And then up here they enter them into the machines. Keep in mind this is day 10 of voting here. There were nine days of early voting. That's new. Voted in via constitutional amendment in 2022, so this is the first presidential cycle with that early voting. And I talked to the township clerk here. She said she sees blinds as long as 60, 90 minutes every one of those nine early voting days maximum enthusiasm. She says voters are telling her they really want their vote to count this year. They see their vote as counting. She's seen a big number of first-time voters as well.
A -- and that is not just happening here in Macomb Town -- Township in Macomb County. It's happening across the street -- the state. Even before today, more than, well, close to 3.5 million people had already voted, close to half the active registered voters in the state. And just one measure of that, you know what's really hot today, it's these I Voted stickers. And they were part of a contest around the state.
Kids in the state, high school students, adults, one of the favorites is ope, I voted, if you know the Midwest, a little bit of a Midwestern expression there as well. That's one sign of the enthusiasm in the state of Michigan.
BURNETT: Yes. In -- incredible enthusiasm everywhere. And then we'll -- we'll see how -- how it turns out. Let's go to Grand Rapids, Michigan. Kylie Atwood has been there. And Kylie, earlier when I was speaking to you, you know, were -- you're -- you're showing us how it works where you are. What are you hearing now from voters? It looks a little quiet behind you. Have you -- do you think you've sort of seen it or more people coming in here at the end?
KYLIE ATWOOD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Erin it has been a little bit quiet but there's been a consistent flow of folks coming in to vote here on the western side of Michigan in Grand Rapids. We have one voter with us this evening who actually voted for Trump. Josh, can you tell us a little bit about why you cast your ballot for Trump tonight?
JOSH PANGLE, TRUMP SUPPORTER: I guess it has to do with more of like a blue-collar worker. And I knew that one of the things he said he was going to do was cut taxes for overtime. So and that's how I make a lot of my money. So that was like probably the main driving force and all that.
ATWOOD: So for you, it's really a financial decision more than anything else?
PANGLE: Right. Yes. I'd probably say that. Especially with the way the economy's been, so.
ATWOOD: Did you vote for Trump in the past, in 2016 and 2020?
PANGLE: I didn't.
ATWOOD: You didn't? So, did you vote at all in 2016 and 2020?
PANGLE: No. I didn't, actually.
ATWOOD: Oh, interesting. So this is the first presidential election that you've cast a ballot for in a few cycles now.
PANGLE: Yes, I think Obama was the last person I voted for. I won't lie.
ATWOOD: All right, back to you guys. This is a type of voter that the Trump campaign is going to need to see out here in Oakland if -- win this county.
BURNETT: Yes absolutely, Kylie. And there -- there you go. When they've been talking about are there those -- those shadow Trump voters or shadow Harris voters. There you go. A Trump voter who didn't vote in the election in 2020 or 2016, John King, he was saying Barack Obama was the last person that he voted for. I mean, there you go. That's what they're trying to find.
JOHN KING, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: You're trying to find voters who are open and available. There are 25 counties, we'll watch them later tonight, 25 counties in America, they voted twice for Barack Obama and for Donald Trump and then for Joe Biden. Those are voters who swing with the moment, right. We'll track those counties later. But let's go back to where we just heard those voters. We were just in Michigan, right? This -- the 2020 map, right?
Let me just show you 2024 map. It's going to fill in just a minute. We'll start getting votes top of the hour. We'll go on. But let's just use the 2020 map as an example and look at the state of Michigan. So, you just heard a voter out in the Grand Rapids area. That's Kent County. This used to be Republican territory and it's become more Democratic.
However, the margins here matter. You see that 52 to 46 if you round the former president up there, so a six point race in Grand Rapids in 2020 when Joe Biden carried Michigan. All right, you go back to 2016. And you look at the margins here and it's a -- it's a Trump on top of Hillary Clinton in this area right here. So the margins within some of these battlegrounds matter. If Trump can turn Kent County red, Trump is well poised to win the state of Michigan. That's Michigan 2016. Let's come back to 2020 and let's bring up here where Jim Sciutto was.
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You see Detroit is blue right here but look just north of Detroit, that's Oakland County used to be a Republican suburb, more educated, more affluent. This is Macomb County, this is used to be a Democratic suburb, blue collar, auto workers, people in the mechanized industries here. You see, this is Trump country. But the margins matter. Joe Biden gets 45 percent in 2020. When Joe Biden carries Michigan, go back to 2016, Hillary Clinton's getting only 42 percent of the vote.
So, sometimes you're looking at a county and it's red or blue. That's not enough. We need to look at the margins. This is all about turnout. And for Kamala Harris in Macomb County, let's come back to 2020 as an example. It's also about whether her union allies succeed or fail in getting some of their workers to set aside guns issues or cultural issues or social issues or affinity for Donald Trump. You just heard the worker saying no tax on overtime pay. Can labor unions convince their workers actually organizing and other labor issues are more important? So you look for the margins in a place like this. And if Vice President Harris is losing votes there, she wants to track Biden. But let's assume she's a little below Biden in Macomb County. Well then, you're doing the math. She has to make it up in more affluent Oakland County.
This is the -- her -- her co -- her coalition is very complicated. If she's going to lose a little bit because of the dynamics, the question is, where can she make it up? And so, Michigan is one of the fantastic opportunities to do that as we start to come into votes. And remember, the three blue wall states have voted together since 1992. We'll find out tonight if that pattern continues or if it is broken.
TAPPER: All right, thanks, John. We're just minutes away from the very first votes of the 2024 election coming through in areas with the earliest poll closings. And we're getting closer to the end of voting in battleground Georgia, the first pivotal battleground state on our radar tonight after months of anticipated anticipation, the results are finally coming soon in this historic presidential race. We'll be right back.
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TAPPER: And you're looking right now, live images from Mesa, Arizona. Americans taking advantage of their right to vote with the White House and the balance of power in Congress on the line. The first results of the presidential race, the first actual votes are coming up very soon. But right now, to Erin Burnett with yet another battleground report. Erin?
BURNETT: All right, Jake. And of course, it's all about the battlegrounds. As we await these results, we still see people in state after state waiting to vote, waiting for their voice to be heard. Let's go to Georgia, Victor Blackwell, where you are right now. What are you seeing as we're getting into these final -- final hours here of people being able to vote in a state where you are that we anticipate could have record turnout?
VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: Erin, let me start with some breaking news. I am in Lawrenceville. That's in Gwinnett County, which is one of the Atlanta metro area counties that's increasingly becoming more Democratic a -- a -- or a -- a pickup for the Democrats. What we've learned in just the last few moments is that after one of those bomb threats that was made against a polling location here in Gwinnett County around 12:45 today, a superior court judge has now extended voting at two precincts, precinct 112 and precinct 52.
Now, they were both in the same facility. That's the Mountain Park Activity Center in Stone Mountain. It was evacuated for about an hour, so everything stopped down there for about 58 minutes. So polling -- voting will continue until 7:58 p.m. tonight. That just coming in, a ruling from a superior court judge here. Let me show you. This is the Grace New Hope Church. We are just before another rush here that's expected. I spoke with Margie, who's the poll manager here, and says that as we get closer to 7:00 p.m. this polling location will close at seven, that she's expecting another rush.
This morning she says she's never seen anything like it. People who showed up, she said women, people of color, Asian Americans as well. She's had a lot of excitement from young people. Erin, back to you.
BURNETT: A lot of excitement from young people. We're hearing that in Atlanta, of course, we're hearing that out west. We heard it from the secretary of state in Nevada. We'll see what it means. Let's go to Kate Bolduan. She's at a polling place outside Philadelphia. And Kate, I know there was a -- a -- a response there as you're talking to officials, to some social media posts from Trump.
KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: Absolutely. Look, disinformation, misinformation, it's been ran -- running rampant. And it's been something that officials in Pennsylvania have been trying to fight against ahead of Election Day to reassure people that this election here will be safe and secure, just as it was in 2020. They're now having to combat that from the very top. Donald Trump sending out about 4:30, a -- a Truth Social post saying that he's heard -- heard a lot of talk about massive cheating in Philadelphia, saying law enforcement was on the way.
We just got a statement from the Philadelphia city commissioners. The people in charge of running the election in Philadelphia and overseeing it, saying this, Seth Bluestein saying this. There is absolutely no truth to this allegation. It is yet another example of disinformation. Voting in Philadelphia has been -- has been safe and secure.
He goes on to say, we have been in regular contact with the RNC. We have been responsive to every report of irregularities at the polls to ensure Philadelphians can vote safely and securely. Taking it a step further, my colleague Holmes Lybrand spoke with the Philadelphia Police Department. They also said, Erin, they are not aware of what Donald Trump is referring to.
But that is the reality in Philadelphia of what they are -- they continue the counting. They're keeping their heads down and continuing to -- continuing to get the work done. But they're now trying to having to combat this on Election Day from Donald Trump.
BURNETT: All right, Kate, thank you very much. And our voting desk is keeping tabs on all the presidential battlegrounds anywhere that there's been a delay or someone has called for any kind of a concern on anything. We now have some new reporting out of Philadelphia. Pam Brown, you're at the voting desk where there's been some new details on what's happening there.
PAMELA BROWN, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, that's right. Been speaking to officials across the country. But in Pennsylvania, the crown jewel, battleground commonwealth I should say. I just got off the phone with an official there in Philadelphia and this is what the official told me. Overall, they have 182,000 early ballots in Philly counted so far. And 75 to 100,000 of those will be released at 8:01 p.m. tonight, after the polls close.
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So, we should note that overall number could rise in Philly because voters have until 8 p.m. to drop off their early ballots. Now let's kick it over here to Arizona. Arizona, actually, I just got off from the phone with a source in Maricopa, the largest county there. That source tells me it is taking longer than expected to process those early ballots. Here's why Erin. This year they have double the amount of paper front and back, 79 measures and contests that they have to process with the -- the -- the two pieces of paper and they also have to check the signatures on the envelope.
So this first relay release of 1.1 to 1.2 million ballots at -- at about 10:00 p.m. Eastern tonight, that will come through. Those were only account for early votes through last Tuesday, October 29th. That's less than the initial estimate that the first drop would be comprised of ballots through at least Friday. That's what they had hoped for.
Now, the -- the first drop is expected to be about 55 percent of the total vote turnout for Maricopa. The next results reported overnight will include today's Election Day votes. In addition to that, officials will need to process the ballots dropped off across the county today. And then Nevada is another state that we're keeping a close eye on. They have to wait for every voter in line by the time polls close at 10:00 p.m. Eastern to vote and for every poll location in the state to close before results are released, Erin.
BURNETT: So it's going to take longer than maybe many people had hoped. OK, so there's that when you look at Arizona. Where might we get results more quickly tonight, Pam?
BROWN: Well, Georgia is showing promising signs. I've been speaking to an election official there on the ground, most polls will close at 7:00 p.m. Eastern with the exception of two polling places in Cobb County and a few others requesting an extension. Now by law, the state has to report all the mail-in ballots received by Monday by an hour after polls close. But officials say that I've been speaking to, they expect around 75 percent of Georgia's overall vote to be released at around 8 o'clock.
And then an official I've been speaking to says the majority of precincts will still report their first batch of results after polls close. Now in Michigan, the Secretary of State, I just spoke to the Secretary of State, just got off the phone with her and she tells me they're on track to match and possibly surpass their turnout record from 2020.
The Secretary of State also tells me that at 9:00 p.m. Eastern, all the early in person votes and the vast majority of today's Election Day votes should be in and then they'll be made publicly throughout the night. She also notes, and this could be important, Erin, depending on how close this race is, that 7,000 overseas ballots have not been returned yet. So again, another factor in all of this. Back to you. BURNETT: Yes, absolutely. Secretary of State there earlier, Secretary Benson saying if it comes down to a margin of 7,000, we could be waiting.
BROWN: Yes.
BURNETT: If it's not that tight, we may find this out much more quickly, so we will see. All right, Pam, thank you very much on the voting desk. Let's go to Sara Murray. She is in Atlanta with new information on the voting there. What have you just learned, Sara?
SARA MURRAY, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well Erin, we learned that there are five locations here in Fulton County that will be staying open later because they had to be briefly evacuated today because of these non-credible bomb threats. Obviously, this is an issue that a -- folks in Georgia as well as a couple other states have been grappling with today.
Now, we just learned from county officials here in Fulton County, the polls will be open anywhere from 10 minutes to 45 minutes past this 7:00 p.m. deadline when they were expected to close again. This is designed to give voters an opportunity to vote, to make up for the period that these locations were closed today. Now, as Pam Brown was just pointing out, Georgia does have a rule that says an hour after your polls close, you need to report early absentee advanced voting.
And in speaking to officials, they still believe we are going to see very timely results in Georgia, even though we have these five locations in Fulton County that are going to be staying open later as well as a handful of other locations across the state. Still a lot of optimism from officials here that we are going to see some speedy results tonight.
BURNETT: Yes absolutely. And the Republican Secretary of State there has been so confident in that. We hope that's the case. All right. Sara Murray, thank you very much with that latest reporting from Atlanta. Let's go over to John King. I'm peeking behind you at the wall. I see Pennsylvania is up.
KING: So as you were translating what that means, I want to try to add to that as well as we go through it. Number one, let's start out west and I'm going to walk over this way for a minute. If this race comes down to Arizona and Nevada, which is distinctly possible given how close it was. You get the impression from what we just heard, the counts there could take a little bit longer if it comes down, 11 and six in terms of the electoral votes.
If it comes down to out west however, it's also quite possible when we get these, which some will be late tonight. Some could be tomorrow or beyond, we'll get more. So let's wander back over here and go through what we just heard. And I'll have Pennsylvania up because you just heard from Kate Bolduan. So let's start with Kate Balduan. She's here in Bucks County.
This is one of the key collar counties right around Philadelphia. Democrats need to run it up big in Philadelphia and then do well in the suburbs around it. Bucks County, blue collar, cops, firefighters close to Philadelphia, which is just here to the south, this has been the most competitive of the collar counties. The more affluent, more educated. Montgomery and Delaware have become overwhelmingly Democratic. Look how close Bucks County was in 2020, 52 to 47. Go back to 2016, it's even closer, 48 to 48 or 49 if you round up Secretary Clinton to 48 there.
[17:55:06]
So this -- that's a very important point when -- when Kate is saying, you know, there could be accounts keeping precincts open a little bit longer to deal with that. That's what happens on election night, number one. Number two, if you're still voting and you see things on social media, check with your state officials or your county officials. Be careful about what you believe on social media, especially if it's coming from somebody who has an out -- a stake in the outcome of the election.
So that's Pennsylvania there. I just want to go quickly down to Georgia where Victor Blackwell was, because he makes an important point. Both Sara Murray here in Fulton County, some bomb threats so they're going to keep polls open, an absolutely essential area, 10 percent of the state population. You see how important it is to the Democratic coalition there.
But then where Victor was out here in Gwinnett County. Again, as Victor noted, this was Republican Territory eight, 10, 12 years ago. It is increasingly Democratic territory, now you see right there. So keeping the polling places open for a little bit longer could be incredibly important. And again, bomb threats, that's unusual. Keeping polling places open a little bit later because something happens that's part of the process, Jake. It happens all the time. And we just need to be patient.
TAPPER: All right, thanks so much. And we're getting a new read on the issues that matter to voters. David Chalian back with more exit poll information. David, how concerned are people about this issue of protecting democracy?
CHALIAN: Yes, it's the number one issue, according to the exit poll of voters across the country in this election, 35 percent of voters in this election, Jake, say it is the most important issue. So went a little deeper, is democracy in the U.S. secure or threatened? Seventy- three percent of voters nationally in this election, according to these preliminary exit poll results, say U.S. Democracy is threatened. Only 25 percent think it's secure.
A -- are you confident that elections are being conducted fairly and accurately in the United States? Well, two-thirds of voters in this election, 68 percent say they are confident, 31 percent of voters say they're not confident that elections are being conducted fairly and accurately today. We also wanted to look at that by coalition of support here. So among Harris voters in this election nationally, Jake, 88 percent, nearly nine out of 10 Harris voters are confident that elections are being conducted fairly inaccurately. Only 11 percent are not confident. As I'm sure you could imagine after the last four years, Donald Trump supporters, it's a totally different story. It's a split decision.
Only 47 percent of Trump voters in this election say they're confident that the election is conducted fairly inaccurately, 52 percent, a slim majority of Trump voters are not confident, Jake. We also asked, are you concerned about violence as a result of the election? And overall, 71 percent of voters across the country according to these early exit polls say yes, they are concerned about violence, 20 -- 27 percent, Jake, say no, they're not.
TAPPER: All right, David Chalian, thanks so much. Anderson, over to you.
COOPER: Yes, Jake, thanks very much. Just looking at the -- the new exit polls, you -- anything surprising on this?
GRIFFIN: Listen, I'm actually surprised by the number of Republicans in this exit poll that actually do trust the election. It's nearly half they -- they trust the process.
COOPER: Given all the rhetoric from the former president?
GRIFFIN: Yes, and as we speak, Donald Trump is espousing on his Truth Social that there's fraud in Philadelphia. It's been knocked down by local election officials. But this is happening in real time.
COOPER: But the top election officials in -- in -- in -- in Pennsylvania is Republican.
GRIFFIN: Is a Republican. But listen, I think it's not helpful to Donald Trump if democracy is actually as high on voters' minds. Now people can interpret that different. I think that there are some on the right who are going to say, well, the threat to democracy is the other side. But I think by and large that tends to capture the voters who were concerned about January 6th, stop this deal and efforts to overturn the election.
AXELROD: I think his -- his -- this challenging, this -- this assertion of fraud in Philly. And some the things he said lately is one of the reasons why people are concerned about violence and about what's going to happen after the election because this has become more and more a mantra as the week -- as the days have come toward the -- the election.
URBAN: I think Governor Shapiro and the team in Pennsylvania done a -- a -- a laudable job in doing things. They're transparent. We don't have butcher paper up on the windows like we had in -- in -- in the last election. People are being shown things, you -- you know, there's like a camera -- cameras there. So I -- I am confident that this will be a fair election, a free election. And it -- it's going to come out, you know, the way it's supposed to come out. People are voting in record numbers and I'm hopeful that, you know, our -- our team wins.
JONES: Well, I -- I mean to me it is interesting that democracy, which should be a shared value, has now become almost a partisan issue. When you looked at -- at, you know, concern for democracy was not very high for a party, the Republican Party that's supposed to be the party of liberty, the party of patriotism, something's really happened. I think the Democratic Party, I think, has picked up the banner of a deeper kind of patriotism and a deeper kind of commitment to democracy. And I think that shows in these numbers.
COOPER: It's interesting, though. I mean, the people were critical early on of Kamala Harris for running on the defense of democracy idea. It seems, certainly just from these exit polls, that -- that --
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AXELROD: Yes, I mean, look I -- I --
COOPER: -- it's kind of a detail.
AXELROD: -- but I don't think she -- I don't think she ran on those --
COOPER: But I think earlier on though.
AXELROD: It would have been a mistake to do so. I think the people who care deeply about that were going to be with her. And so that is in -- in the mix. But on your point a -- about democracy, look, Donald Trump's project has been to raise doubts about all institutions.
COOPER: Our coverage that continues right now.
